>> it is delicious, i have had it. melissa: i am ready to try it. we will see you back here tomorrow. here comes "the willis report" up next. gerri: hello, everybody, i am gerri willis. tonight on "the willis report." new discovery by scientists find your cholesterol drug could soon prevent blindness. wal-mart struggling to keep store shelves full and fresh, customers are outraged. we get to the bottom of it. do you really need to know where your meat was born, raised and slaughtered? we will have a heated debate. next on "the willis report." gerri: all that and more coming

up tonight, but first our top story. an appalling report of cancer patients being turned away for care. doctors say reduced funding for medicare which kicked in april 1 makes it virtually impossible for our nation's clinics to administer expensive, but life-saving chemotherapy drugs. is sequester really to blame, and work in cancer patients turn to if they are getting turned away? assistant clinical professor of rheumatology at the medical center joins me now. thank you for coming on the show. why are they being turned away? >> obviously a multilayered argument and everything that is going on. basically what has happened is there has been as of april 1 and across-the-board budget cuts from the administration. roughly 5% to all agencies including 6% cut to medicare reimbursement, that is

specifically targeting patients and even beyond that specifically chemotherapy patients. gerri: turning away 16,000 patients. this is almost unimaginable. >> it sounds appalling, and it is, but as an advocate they are stuck in a double bind. they are not able to meet the demands. gerri: there is not really a choice they have, i guess. would it be an option to go ahead and get the care and hope the government comes back with the money at some point? >> now, they have to go out of pocket. gerri: the cost for care goes through the roof. look at these numbers, costing

$6500 more to administer this kind of care in a hospital and the results out of pocket results for customers $650 more. what do you make of that? speak of that is the case. the majority get their care in a community setting if they have to start looking for other sources, they will have to go to nonprofit hospitals, etc. there is a much higher overhead and anytime you do something in a hospital setting there is the space, the administration, facility fees, these costs would have to be incurred by the patient. gerri: never before have i been forced to decide which patients to treat, and colleges should not be put in a position of content to treat patients at a loss resulting in clinics closing. >> this is not new in medicine. there have always been roadblocks ordering expensive

therapies and diagnostic tests for this happens to be a unique situation because the price medicare normally reimburses for cancer chemotherapy is a set price. they're basically reducing it by 2%, which is really going to amount in a lot more in dollars and cents. gerri: 50 to 70% of drugs administering cancer care will become money losers. explain that to me. >> the cost of the cancer drugs in this country and for drugs used in rheumatology, anything engineered to treat certain diseases run a ridiculously high count. those numbers can't be changed by the doctor. that is a fixed price the pharmaceutical companies etc. establish. all the doctors can work with is how many nurses they hire, how much square footage they have. they will make cuts, the only

way to make cuts is to have less staff. gerri: very frustrating to watch a lot of people might go without care because of this. >> they absolutely will be gerri: thank you for coming on tonight. i cannot believe you are old enough to be a doctor, you look so good. >> thank you. gerri: and other health care story catching my eye. insider trading of health care stocks as a result of a possible shift in washington. listen to this. on monday the white house announced they will no longer going to cut medicare advantage by 2%. they're going to raise investments in the program by 3%. that announcement sent insurance stocks soaring. in eight and a half% spike in prices. but now the papers looking into the possibility trades were tipped off by private message alerting them with the change coming. you didn't get that message, did

you? it came from a washington investment firm about 20 minutes before the market closed. volume skyrocketed, even though the official announcement from the white house would come 15 minutes after the market closed. today a report calling on the fec to crack down on market information being leaked from capitol hill. insider trading is a contagion in this country and one that makes for an uneven trading field for investors once again the big guys get critical trading information while small investors left in the cold. everybody should get the same info at the same time. is that too much to ask? onto a different topic. the so-called facebook phone unveiled battling to be in your pocket with all the other brands, apple already reporting to new iphones this year. and apple, you know apple is the

king of brand loyalty. the major event with diehard consumers lining up at apple stores. whether it is buying toothpaste or the latest gizmo, is it for losers? let's bring in our branding expert, thank you for coming in. >> thank you for having me. gerri: here is my theory, people don't change brands because it is too much of a hassle. >> that is partly true. people prefer to listen to records because they don't want to listen to a cd. they have earned that loyalty. provide a product and provide good customer service and a good companies do that. gerri: it is not necessarily clear all the well-known brands are well known products. 46% of people daily lives are

based on habit. it is just what they're used to doing so they keep doing what they're used to doing without any attention to the quality of product. i buy kleenex because i keep buying kleenex. >> if for some reason it did not reach her expectations, you would move onto another product of the most part those 46% have been satisfied with the product they are using. i believe it all comes down to customer service and a good product. gerri: i still say people are on autopilot when it comes to a lot because it is a lot of work. so many brands come on a daily basis, some yearly, annual, monthly. here's what the university had to say about this topic. in repeated consumption, consumers can be locked into a particular product technology, vendor or service provider. the habitual pattern becomes a habit. you don't know what the other

offerings are out there. you have never tried it. >> for the most part that's why these companies spend so much time and money on their product improving their product and keeping their customer loyalty and customer service. a lot of the products i use right now wer or stores i shop n our better customer service. that is where i shop in that is a product i buy. gerri: mit had interesting comments, people may believe they drink coke for the taste but in reality they are responding to a brand image. we are responding to the branding images. >> anybody who says we don't are not paying attention. we buy products because of the status of it and you think you will feel better and be part of the in crowd and everything but that is all part of the packaging. when people say why don't you buy a generic product which is the same as the other product, the reason people don't is

because they don't get the same feeling about the brand. gerri: does it shock you to the degree which people became apple aficionados and were so loyal and frankly nutty about their love for these products. they would queue up hundreds of people for the latest release, they would wear the patch on their backpack, a little apple branding. >> almost like a cold. cult. gerri: that is absolutely right. >> it has to be something. that is the sign of a good company they can build that brand loyalty. gerri: here's what is going on with apple right now, share price has been cut in half, people are wondering about the newest iteration is of their products, huge competition from samsung. is this the best company or a brand network?

>> marketing is so important, helps to make it a good company. the customer's perception is your reality. gerri: we have to start perceiving more. good to see you. thank you for coming in. a fox business alert, shares of best buy for the 16% in announced plans for samsung. battling as more and more people browse stores and buy items cheaper online. of these shops offer the full range of samsung products, laptops, accessories, a way for samsung to stick it to rival apple carving out retail space without having to pay to open their own stars. another way to break the apple brand loyalists. more to come this hour including the nation's biggest retailer having trouble keeping the store shelves stocked.

not because the items are so popular, but because they were not there to begin with. we will explain, and the drug you and your family is taking for high cholesterol can prevent a common form of blindness. details in a new report. coming up.

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we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello? ally bank. your money needs an ally. gerri: cholesterol, cholesterol can lead to blindness in your golden years. cholesterol busting drugs people use now could maybe do the leading cause of blindness in the elderly using wet eyedrops. great to have you back.

tommy in layman's terms how somebody's cholesterol could be connected to blindness. >> a buildup of cholesterol in the eyes can cause increased in blood vessel growth. blood vessel growth can then cause neck with degeneration. one of the factors that will be seen in people as they age. that is what some of the medications do. gerri: my mother has vascular degeneration. the fine for people who don't know. speaker is a generation in the massacre of the eye. what causes this loss of vision. it becomes difficult to read, it is difficult to tell one person from another, but you maintain peripheral vision. it increases with age and usually seen in people over 60 and even more so over 75. 30% of people over 75 have this

problem. gerri: it is an epidemic. it seems we're seeing it more and more now. i am not sure why. the solution, these eyedrops, they could be a ways from hitting the marketplace. research just thing done now in mice and having some traction with fixing these subjects visions. >> this particular medication increases a protein which is a protein deficient in the people who have this problem. you take the cholesterol out of the eyes and you decrease the amount of new blood vessels, so it slows down. gerri: your doctor's orders for avoiding blindness. >> risk factors are obesity, hypertension, smoking. it can increase it two to three times. certain risk factors you can't control, aging, but some people

feel -- gerri: i'm going to age. but you say fat intake. eat less fatty foods? >> and focus on omega-3 fatty acid foods will have a positive affect on this. gerri: you also say this drug could help people with other kinds of diseases, this solution. how so? >> can be used to prevent blood vessel formation. they are spread out over the body trying to prevent the blood vessel growth maybe you can slow them down, so it is a similar type of concept. gerri: thank you for making time for us, i really appreciate it. that would be nice if there was a solution. do you need to know where your beef is born, raised, and slaughtered? the government says yes. is the biggest retailer not keeping items on the shelves fresh? results next and what it could

mean the next time you shop at wal-mart. stay with us. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] help brazil reduce its overall reliance on foreign imports with the launch of the country's

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for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. gerri: big troubles the nation's largest retailer. shoppers say war is having serious issues keeping the shelves full. are the rumors true?

gerri: nation's biggest retailer, wal-mart, is struggling to keep store shelves full. surprising. according to recent reports citing claims for shoppers and workers. wal-mart strengths to keep stock shelves fresh. customers complained their

shelves are widespread. joining me now, chief executive. this is really interesting to me because here is a company that you think they have their operations on autopilot, they know what they're doing, but they can't even get the food on the shelves in the grocery aisles. what do you make of that? >> is this russia? what is happening? it is scary when america's largest retailer can supply their shelves. it is not a one-off thing. look at social media and e-mails they are receiving from across the country it is not just one area, it is nationwide. it is concerning, and wal-mart having to do this going down to bare-bones staffing and the largest retailer, they are amazing at moving through channels, that is what they do.

if they can't do that, imagine what the rest of the retailers are going through. it is not a good thing. gerri: lamarck has cut 20,000 employees, only 1.4% of the workforce. remember they have the largest workforce of anybody in the country second only to the post office. opening 455 stars now. customers complain they cannot get produced off the shelves, long checkout lines, customer satisfaction down, this is a surprise to me because you expect wal-mart to be able to appeal to people. for so long they were a popular brand name, what is going on now? does it say something about customers? >> it says something about our country. for wal-mart to come out and say we are having a difficult time meeting our needs, getting product out to the shelves, they are blue-chip retailer. if a stock like that is saying that, they will cause widespread

panic throughout the nation. unfortunately you and i have been chatting for a while now, it is worse than you think for most americans. gerri: could be people are trading up and we heard the stories about their sales, their sales are down, people are trading up and causing problems for wal-mart letting even more people go? >> actually they are trading down. i had some people who e-mailed me and said where do you go after wal-mart? what is down from wal-mart? it is dollar stores. there are not many in new york city, but across the nation they are in a lot of destination centers, so they are in most cases closer than your local wal-mart and that is what people are doing. they're using more fresh ingredients and getting them to the consumer quicker. gerri: we reached out to wal-mart, here's what they had to say to us. twe dispute the allegations,

wal-mart in stock levels are at an all-time high read w. you say what? >> if you can't get fresh product to the shelves at your consumer, that is a big problem. it is not like it is getting a t-shirt out there. but you want to be the first wal-mart that has the case of salmonella, it is not a good thing. gerri: thanks so much. >> thank you. gerri: all right, we have more to come. a new investigation into stockbrokers, and if they're actually looking out for you. and if happy cows come from california, do you want to be told where your beef is from? the government is making the decision for you. we will make the decision coming up.

gerri: the government with its wisdom is talking about putting new labeling on packages of meat debt to purchase or. if you buy a hamburger or state they want the label to tell you where the hell was born, raised and slaughtered review today i ask people on the street if that information was useful. >> i think that is access information. some people might care but the vast majority won't even read the label. >> it is very useful. it is much more useful than telling people how they ought to eat more useful is giving the information they need to make choices. >> to our wanted to come from a poverty-stricken nation? no. the pacific comes from a

stake in the midwest never be more than likely to buy it. >> i don't think so. i am more concerned how is said or growth hormones. safety is more important and better places for our funding. >> they could mean higher prices joining me now is president of the national farmers union and general counsel and senior vice president for the american meat institute. roger, why are you for the labeling? >> our position is determined over many years we have a position in favor of labeling because consumers have a right to know where their food comes from. overwhelmingly if you know, surveys they say they want to know. the more information you can give them, more transparency and the better off we are in the more likely consumers

will not be in the dark. gerri: don't we already have country of origin labeling now? where you against the labeling? >> we already have country of origin labeling since 2009. we aren't against the new proposed rule because it will bring additional costs, another $500 million to the meat packing sector alone not the rest of the supply chain even and the most recent research from kansas state university and other studies from the journal of consumer policy suggest consumers don't care. it has not moved with the needle for product in the united states. gerri: roger, do you agree and why do i need to know where it was born, raised born, raised, and slaughtered?

i feel like i am getting a personal history. [laughter] >> if the reason you have to know is the wto, the canadians, mexicans with the packer industry friends argued the wto should outlaw the law but it said the lot is fine but the rule be have does not provide enough information's to consumers to make a legitimate court -- choices. the way the lot is currently written it allows coaming going of products and that information is not accurate. so in order to comply. gerri: you are talking over my head. so i will talk as a consumer. you are often in the

industry one speaking for farmers and the other for industry. as a consumer, what i heard on the street today for people who buy your products in the supermarket i don't know need to know the life history of an animal but if it does have growth hormones which is likely or genetically modified. i love knowing country of origin just put that information on it. >> i agree. the information provided today is perfectly acceptable. with the other issues, by the way the united states department of agriculture has said and multiple times it is not a food safety issue is about marketing. [laughter] gerri: this country of origin a safety issue? i have seen some scary stories of meat out of china

and how that animals are fed , how they live, it makes others look like a fairy tale spirit that is why the products want to know where they come from. but born, raised, and slaughtered the meat industry wants to say you can import and animal to the united states and slaughtered and sold the meat and you will get the same product you would have received if it was slaughtered over there that is why the specificity of the label is important so they know that it was born, raised, and slaughtered in the united states. >> but he is not telling you that china is not eligible to ship meat or poultry products to the united states. gerri: dell we get their fish? it is frightening what they send over. >> fish is not subject to the proposed rule it is applicable only to the meat products.

also what he is not telling you is really this is about is keeping trade with canada and mexico at a limit. it is a trade barrier. we are risking a trade with the two largest meet customers'. >> it is the consumer right to know issue. consumers want to know. gerri: that is 20 percent of my grocery bill. it is a big deal to me. you did a great job discussing it. but i do have to say we found a lot of people who wanted to buy the american beef. thank you for coming on. what do you think? here is our question to you need to know where your meat is born, raised, and

slaughtered? go to gerriwillis.com and vote on the right-hand side of the screen. if the labels become a reality but countries are listed as the birthplace? so they eat more than they export they have more than metric tons in 2010. china produces more than 6 million metric tons but that is down. number three, the european union the 27 countries combined produces 8 million metric tons. number two, brazil produced more than 9 million metric tons and the only nation so that has seen an increase. number one beef producing country is the united states of america. reproduce close to 12 million metric tons of beef down just a fraction but it is force in the list

of cattle herds. india has more cows. when we come back cancer patients are turned away from clinics. lou dobbs will talk to us and is your stockbroker putting you first? are they more worried about your investment or their bottom line? ahead. ♪

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visit thenewny.com gerri: the latest developments of the story we've discussed last night. the wreckers' basketball coach fired for kicking and shoving and case letters he gets a bonus. he gets one of the thousand dollars for completing a full three seasons if the university had fired him when the video was first discovered in december the

university could have saved a lot of money but they did not do that meanwhile turning cancer patients away at the door some clinics telling medicare patients they cannot afford to help them. let's bring in lou dobbs. >> it is sequestered for real at this point*. this is a fax part b medicare because that is where chemotherapy and dr. physician administered chemotherapy takes place. but the fact they are rolling people back has another consequence that pushes them back to the hospitals and they don't have room for them. it is so costly that something has to give. gerri: the number we had was an additional $6,500. >> exactly. that additional 6500 is a big number played out across

the country. we're watching a government that has become even more complex than the issues and problems it tries to deal with. it is a government so big of all aspects of our society, economy, they cannot run the darn thing. managing government is beyond the scale of these politicians. they are not very good politicians on a comparative basis. they are really lousy managers. gerri: then why do they win some and daytime's? >> here's the problem. you know, it. a lousy bunch of people want to be politicians it is not the best and brightest. [laughter] these are people really comedies think they're the best lawyers to run for office than the best doctors ? >> these people think cutting budget spending

means lowering the growth of budget spending. >> also what else will they do? there on the public trough for the rest of their lives? great health care benefits that most other americans don't have and they just have to fool the people every two years, or four years. gerri: there are no consequences to them. they may be reelected but if we mess our budget projections we are on the street. food is not on the table. >> most of the effort is spent trying to mitigate against to hide the consequences because these will turn not bright enough to run a government for a nation the size. there should be a mass resignation to call a special election but part of

this is institutionalized corruption part of a cycle of dependency they carry to a nation that there is a cocoon. gerri: what is on the show tonight? >> we will take a light -- looked at the top of the show the very latest reports from p'yongyang and seoul korea and washington d.c.. this is more serious by the hour. and the fact that china or the united nation has not moved faster and to be sick iphicles geopolitical crisis it is just one reporter's opinion. gerri: thank you for coming

it is great to talk to you. >> we could have talked more [laughter] gerri: is your financial advisor putting you first? had you know you're not being ripped off? and is proposing what government does best on the new rules and peter barnes joins us now. >> the government will protect you by writing rules when they give you personalized advice to sell you something because guess what? you don't know there is a legal difference between the two with the rules under securities laws. to talk about the fiduciary duty but with the investment is suitable to you with that gives the brokers legal

wiggle room and more protection if the investment does not work out and you want to file the claim as part of diktat frank conroy says the sec could consider working with the high standard for both. >> cell line between the two has blurred but what hasn't changed is the of brokers are allowed ahead of the clients had with investors been shoehorned into the one-size-fits-all and to with the products and services. >> it is a new tough standard for both could limit cost but the of gold

your is to eliminate conflicts of interest with better disclosure but there is seeking comments and data on the cost benefits if it decides to move forward with the formal proposal which it does not have to do. we may see and watch. hopefully they get to right. gerri: affirmative-action gone wrong and should you change your retirement plan when you leave a job? we will cover your assets. it could affect you. ♪ 's online banking,

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>> getting cheated out of the 401k with retirement savings. next.

gerri: it is your 401k getting ripped off? top retirement firms could be giving you misleading information or downright lies about your savings. cheating you have more money the ceo of the online 401k joins me now. this gao report says retirement savers are subject to biased information and aggressive marketing. tell us about the tactics that are being used. >> if you are walking down the streets of new york city any brokerage firm or bank has the banner that says roll over your 401k but

nobody stops to think why are they so interested in my dollars? it is the biggest asset so they are aggressive to get those in their hands. we see merrill lynch has $600 deposits to roll over the coral 1k. gerri: this tells you right away they make money if they give you $600 up front how much are they making? >> more than that. >> the total pot was 28 percent of retirement benefits so there is a lot of money at stake -- at stake. but it is the i.r.a. necessarily more expensive witches the i.r.a. is the other tool you would use. >> not all iras or expensive there are low-cost alternatives but it is buyer beware.

go with an institution you are comfortable with. 41k verses i.r.a. 41k8 fees are less expensive with a larger company because they have negotiation tactics and buyers discount but a smaller company could be higher. so are you going up or down? so they could be more expensive with the i.r.a. gerri: so no your own plan for cry worked for companies that had great for a one ks with investing options and others that have a lousy choices. those are the decisions you have to make purview to be that many there for how long? >> until you retire. there are some options what you could do. we but in the old plan if you're happy, roll it over to the new company if you

happen at the new company, roll over to the i.r.a. gerri: don't touch the many. >> heaven forbid you cash it out but there is big penalties and you have to pay the taxes so that is not recommended. gerri: do not borrow from it thank you for coming. we will be right back. and the use of medical technology in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. twe price. inveswith confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us.

we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ gerri: the american meat industry for us to allow their labels the fda feels we need to know where our meat is raised, born and slaughtered. here's what the facebook page is saying. we also asked this question on gerriwillis.com. 53% of you said yes, 47% said no. here are some of your e-mails.

great e-mail, check. finally tonight, affirmative action gone too far. the city of phoenix trying to employ more minorities as lifeguards but that is leading them to hire people who can't swim. the job calls for people who preferably speak spanish. $15,000 teaching the lifeguards how to swim. go figure. but if i am drowning would rather have a lifeguard who can swim then speak my language. that is my priority. we get in fashion tomorrow with two breakout designers. we will learn about the new handbags, the jewelry line.